Lethargic, not eating his greens, having trouble shedding...

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lplotkina

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Hey all. I am a new beardie owner and am having trouble with my little guy (who is actually not so little). I inherited him by complete chance from a roomie's boyfriend, and I've never had a lizard before. I just want to do right by him.

He has been doing well the last couple of months I've had him. I went away for two weeks for Thanksgiving Break, and he was reported by the caretaker to have been lethargic and to stay in the same place all day, day to day. I came home and he definitely perked up a lot, but for the past week he has been exactly as described...lethargic, unresisting when I pick him up (his previous owner barely handled him), uninterested in greens (this isn't really anything new, but I am concerned about it, because they are supposed to be 80% of his diet), never drinks the water I put on the tip of his snout (never has) and, basically, doesn't even bother moving around that much. He has a sleepy, half-lidded expression most of the time, and hasn't gone to the bathroom in about five days. Otherwise he is of good color, and was starting to shed a little bit, but only a patch at his elbow flaked off, and nothing else. His tail has a weird grey patch near the end on one side, and that patch is very sensitive to the touch, he twitches every time i brush my finger against it.
His tank may not be warm enough, but for now, that is the only thing I could see that might be causing the issue...and i am working very diligently on remedying that ASAP. What is going on???
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Do you have proper UVB lighting? What type & brand of UVB lighting do you have, is it a flourescent tube bulb or a compact or coil light?
What type of basking light are you using?
Are you supplementing calcium right now? If so, how often?
What do you measure the temps with, a stick on thermometer, a digital probe or a temp gun? What are the temps?
The area that is sensitive could just be due to shedding or it trying to shed. Maybe soak him in some warm water for a bath for 20 or so minutes to help alleviate any dry skin that is having a hard time shedding.

Tracie
 

lplotkina

Member
Original Poster
Hi Tracie, Thanks for the quick response.
I was not aware that I had to have another type of light. He didn't come with one...and I acquired him because his previous owner was neglecting him to the point of abusing, so I had no idea about anything to do with him. The basking light he has now is, as the guy claimed, a reptile basking lamp, set in a porcelain heat-resistant clamp setting.
He gets about ten crickets a day, dusted with calcium, and three superworms, also dusted with calcium. I sprinkle it on his greens too, but he is turning up his nose at those, as mentioned. The temp is currently measured with a stick on thermometer.

I tried giving him a bath on Saturday, but he just sat in it, blinking at me. He didn't move the whole time, just looked surprised. I don't blame him, and my heart bleeds for the poor guy...he doesn't know how to relax and play around, because he has lived in such terrible conditions all of his life. I really want to do my best to remedy all of that.
 

Drache613

BD.org Sicko
Staff member
Moderator
Hello,

Yes, he will need a UVB light. The best one is the Reptisun 10 flourescent tube bulb. You can get that for a good price at:
http://www.petmountain.com
You will need to place the flourescent tube bulb directly beside the bright white basking light.
The calcium will not be able to be absorbed without proper UVB exposure & he wont be able to synthesize D3 to keep his bones strong either. So do try to get a UVB light soon when you can.
The calcium for an adult should be given 3 times per week. You can give calcium 5 times a week for a month, then drop down to 3 times.
The stick on thermometers are not very accurate, unfortunately. The better methods to measure the temps are with either a digital probe or a temp gun. You can get a digital probe at http://www.reptilesupply.com or try looking at walmart for the acurite brand in the plants section. You can get a temp gun from http://www.reptileuv.com

Let me know how he is doing. Good he is eating some though.

Tracie
 
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